Christmas Matchmaking
by robertwnielsen
Summary: Michael and Marella plan a Christmas party, hoping that certain people will get the message.


_Christmas Matchmaking_

Disclaimer – Don't own 'em, just taking them out for one of my non-profit playdates.

_Summary – _Michael and Marella plan a Christmas party, hoping that certain people will get the message.

A/N – Once again, Hawke and Caitlin are not together as anything more than "good friends" at the beginning of the story. References are made to the S2 episode _Flight 093 is Missing, _and the S3 episodes _And a Child Shall Lead, _and _Fortune Teller, _including the character of Megan Ravenson from _Fortune Teller._

"Michael, do you really think this is going to work?" Marella asked on a Sunday evening, at the home she and Michael Coldsmith-Briggs shared.

"Truthfully, no," Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III, or "Archangel," as he was known, replied, shaking his head. "I mean, we both know how stubborn Stringfellow Hawke is...although I think he's lightened up, at least a little, from when you first met him...and I think Cait's definitely had something to do with that."

"That doesn't surprise me," Marella replied, nodding her head. "Cait's probably the only woman I know who could match Stringfellow Hawke's stubborn streak. I think she's...good for him, if you know what I mean," Marella continued, a sly grin crossing her face.

"Oh, I know what you mean, Marella," Michael said as he slid his arms around her, grateful that this conversation was taking place at home, rather than at the office. "Caitlin's...good for Hawke in the same way you are...good...for me. Am I right?"

"Well...not _exactly," _Marella said, chuckling. "But maybe...if this plan of ours works, he'll realize that she would be." Marella and Michael had been planning a Christmas party for the past two weeks, practically since the day after Thanksgiving, for their friends. Michael had even taken the liberty to string sprigs of mistletoe over nearly every entryway in their home. The only one he hadn't hung mistletoe over was the front door. "I don't want it to seem _too _obvious what we're trying to do, but I'm not taking any chances either," Michael had told Marella during the planning of this little get-together. He recalled Caitlin's reaction to a comment that Bobby Phelps, the special-needs child whose father had been kidnapped a few months earlier, had made after Hawke and Dom rescued Bobby's father, Robert.

"_I drew a picture for you!" Bobby said, smiling, walking over to his sketch pad and retrieving a piece of paper._

"_You look good smiling," Bobby continued, laying the sketch down in front of Hawke._

"_Well, I tell you, Bobby, this is real good," String said, then continued, "I just don't think I'm the model type."_

"_You look good when you smile," Bobby insisted, and Michael noticed Caitlin's expression change from a startled smile to an expression of total agreement. **It was almost like she was saying 'You're darned right, he does,' **Michael recalled thinking to himself later. _

"Do you think Hawke got the message?" Marella asked.

"What, about smiling?" Michael replied, shrugging. "I'm not sure...although, I have noticed him smiling a lot more spontaneously, lately. If you're asking if he got the message Caitlin was trying to send him, I'd have to say no. Which is ridiculous, if you ask me."

"Well for once, Michael, you and I are in total agreement," Marella said with a teasing smile. "It's obvious Caitlin has feelings for Hawke...more than just friendship. And there's what Dom told me she said to him during the Horn mission." Michael nodded, smiling as he recalled that discussion.

"_We gotta get the Lady!" Caitlin said, determination evident in her voice._

"_Not 'we,' ME! The instructions say 'ME'!" Dom insisted, his own determination coming through._

"_Dom, don't do that to me," Caitlin said, and Dom thought her tone of voice was near desperation. "I care about him too, you know. Probably **more than you know.**" _

"Didn't you tell me that was the first time you realized Caitlin might care more about Hawke than just as a friend?" Marella asked.

"Yes," Michael replied, then added, "and if I didn't think so then, what Dom told me happened during the mission sealed it for me." He shook his head as he recalled Dom telling him what had happened when Caitlin went to find Hawke, and how Hawke's apparent death had affected her. It almost reminded him of Marella's reaction when he had been captured in East Germany last year. When he'd heard how Marella had evaded the tail she'd picked up, by ducking into a porno house, Michael had realized how much Marella cared about him, and they had become lovers soon after that, and moved in together a few weeks later, and gotten married a few months after that. "Marella, do you think you could handle telling Hawke about this? Somehow, I think he'd be more receptive of this if it came from you. Do you mind?"

Smiling, Marella replied, "No, Michael, I don't mind. Anything to help those two realize how they feel about each other." Marella replied, giving him a quick kiss. _I just hope Hawke doesn't feel like killing one...or both of us when I tell him, _she admitted to herself warily.

Marella knew, of course, about the curse Stringfellow Hawke felt he carried with him – the curse that anyone he loved, or _might love, _would die. _But, _Marella reasoned, knowing she would never bring this up with Hawke, especially since he'd heard it before, _Dominic and Le are still alive...and I know Hawke loves both of them like family. Not to mention Bobby and Ho Minh. _She found herself hoping that this party, and Michael's strategic positioning of mistletoe, might just help Stringfellow realize what she and Michael already knew. _And, that we can help him realize it, before it's too late_, Marella said to herself, knowing that Caitlin was growing increasingly frustrated with Hawke's inability to recognize her feelings for him. _Cait's said she's thinking about going home. We can't let that happen. And I won't,_ Marella determined, knowing that she owed Caitlin a huge debt for being part of the mission that had rescued Michael from East Germany a year earlier. _I owe you this one, Caitlin,_ Marella said to herself. _And I'm not going to let you down._ She knew that if Caitlin hadn't learned the EDCC console, Airwolf would never have made it into East Germany to rescue Michael, so this was the least Marella could do.

**Three days later, Michael's office at Knightsbridge**

"You want to _what,_ Marella?" Stringfellow Hawke demanded. He, Caitlin O'Shannessy, and Dominic Santini had been flown up to Knightsbridge by Laura, Michael's prime pilot, and the three of them assumed that Michael had a mission for them. They were shocked when Marella had announced that the reason for this meeting was not a mission brief, but an invitation to a party. "You're inviting us a _Christmas party_?"

"Yes, Hawke," Marella said hesitantly. "Michael is throwing a little party on Friday...just for us...and, if Dominic wants to bring someone, he's more than welcome to," Marella added.

"Well, that's mighty nice of Michael," Dominic said. "String, give Michael a break...maybe...maybe he's just trying to be nice, you know?"

"Whatever you say, Dom," Hawke replied. He had his own thoughts about Michael's sudden decision to throw a party, especially when he heard that the only guests would be himself, Dom, Caitlin, and anyone Dom might decide to bring. _Michael...if you think I don't know what you're trying to do here, __you've got another think coming...although, I actually would have expected this more from Dom._ He knew that Dom had been trying to push Hawke to see Caitlin as more than just a "good friend," practically since the day her plane to Texas was hijacked while she was flying to her sister's wedding. After she'd been rescued, she was talking to her mother, and the conversation quickly turned into an argument. Finally, Caitlin had hung up and Dom decided to put his two cents worth in.

"_Y'know, maybe your...your mommy has a point," Dom had said. "You should be looking out for your future. And, there's a lot of guys out there."_

"_Oh, yeah? _**Where?"**_ Caitlin demanded._

_Dom pointed at Hawke, smiled, and said, "Well? Huh?" Caitlin had looked at Hawke with a panicked expression as she realized what Dom was referring to. Hawke just stared at them, not sure how he would respond._

"Hawke," Marella said, walking up to him, "Michael wants to be friendly...doesn't Dom throw a Christmas party, too?"

"Yeah, he does," Hawke replied, grumpily, then turned to Caitlin. He could see the excitement in her eyes, and he felt bad that he'd have to disappoint her. _But...maybe you shouldn't disappoint her, String, _a voice was saying in his head. _Maybe you should...give her a chance. _

"Cait," Hawke said hesitantly, "what do you think? Are you going to go to this little get-together Marella's talking about?"

"Well," Caitlin replied, a peculiar look in her eyes, "maybe. But," she said with a twinkle in her eyes that Dom quickly noticed, "only if we go...together." _I think I know what Marella's trying to do...I just hope it works, _Caitlin said to herself.

"You mean...like a date?" Hawke asked her.

"Well...not exactly," Caitlin said, even though that was exactly what she'd meant. "I mean, can't two friends and co-workers go to a party together?"

"Well," Hawke said, "I...I suppose we could," Hawke replied. "Dom...what are you gonna do? You bringing someone?"

"I'll probably ask Megan if she wants to go with me," Dom replied, referring to Megan Ravenson, the psychic who had helped Hawke and Dominic rescue Archangel, along with a Russian scientist named Mikhail Gurvovich, from a group that wanted a device that Michael and Dr. Gurvovich had developed, called the _Fortune Teller, _ last year. Hawke had thought Dom was attracted to Megan, in the same way that Dom felt like Hawke and Caitlin were attracted to each other.

"That could be...interesting," Marella replied, knowing that had been exactly what Michael had intended. "So, you'll all be at our house, Friday night at 7:00?"

"Is that an order, Marella?" Hawke asked, still trying to find an excuse not to go.

"No, Hawke," Marella sighed, and she glanced at Caitlin, noticing the expression on the young redhead's face. "It's not an _order, per se, _but Michael and I would greatly appreciate it if you and Caitlin both came." Her expression betrayed her feelings.

"Okay, Marella," String relented finally. He figured arguing with Michael would not be a good idea, especially about this.

Caitlin, meanwhile, was trying to hide the feelings that were being generated by these developments. _I've been hoping that something like this might happen for a long time,_ Caitlin said to herself. _And now, the opportunity is here. I sure hope this works. If it does...I'll owe Marella big time. _Caitlin had to admit to herself, that she didn't want to consider the consequences if it _didn't _work. _I'll just think positive...and hope for the best. _

Over the course of the next two days, Hawke began desperately trying to think of ways to get out of this situation. _I'd rather be in Airwolf facing ten-to-one odds against MiGs than this party Marella's talking about,_ Hawke said to himself on Thursday morning as Dom picked him up to take him to the hangar.

"Dom, did you have anything to do with this?" Hawke demanded.

"String, I'm hurt," Dom responded calmly. "I mean, sure, I think you and Cait would be good together...almost as good as Megan and I might be, if we decided to get together," Dom said with a smile.

"Well, why not? She seemed to like you well enough," Hawke replied, grinning. _Anything that gets Dom's mind off getting me and Caitlin together would be a help. _"What would stop you from getting together?" Hawke asked.

"Oh, nothing, I guess," Dom said with a grin.

"So, she agreed to go with you?" Hawke asked.

"Yeah, I talked to her last night after work," Dom said, smiling. "She's excited about this party. How 'bout you?" Dom regretted the question almost as soon as he asked.

"What do you think, Dom?" Hawke growled. "I have a feeling I know what's going on with Michael—although I would have expected it more from you, Dom—he and Marella planned this little party to try to get Caitlin and me together."

"What would be wrong with that?" Dom demanded. "I know, I know...'dumb question, Dom'...but dammit, String, you've gotta see how tough Caitlin is. Not to mention, we saw what kind of a pilot she is during the Anderson affair, and when Holly went bonkers and tried to kill them both. Why not give her a chance?"

"Dom," Hawke said as he realized the odds were definitely against him, especially when he considered the mounting evidence, "I...I can't argue with you. Tell you what—I promise I'll think about it, okay?"

As Dom brought the helicopter down at the hangar, he said, "Okay, String."

During the day, Hawke made a concentrated effort to be nicer to Caitlin—he made sure to talk to her more, especially when the two of them were having lunch.

"So, Hawke," Caitlin said, "looking forward to this party tomorrow night?"

"The truth?" Hawke replied, "not really. But, I suppose I'll try to enjoy myself," he added, noting the reaction his previous comment had generated in his young co-worker. "How about you?"

"I won't deny it, String," Caitlin said, and Hawke was surprised she had used his first name, something she rarely did, "yeah, I am looking forward to it. Who knows what might happen?" She smiled warmly at him, and he returned her smile, which made her smile even that much brighter.

_I'm gonna get through that thick head of yours, even if it kills me, Hawke. _Caitlin said to herself as she went to bed that night. She knew she never would have had the courage to do something like this on her own, which was why she had made a mental note to do something nice for Marella if something happened as a result of the party.

As Hawke went to bed Thursday night, he felt his frustration lessening from the peak it had been at when they received the invitation. _I don't know why I'm so angry,_ he said to himself. _Like I said...two friends can go to a Christmas party together...can't they?_ He felt his mind relaxing as he slipped into sleep.

The next morning, Dom picked Hawke up from the cabin like usual, but noticed something different about his friend and younger surrogate son.

"You okay, String?" Dom asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Hawke replied. "Just...thinking."

"About?" Dom replied.

"Tonight," Hawke replied. "You know I'm not crazy about this party. I mean, I've got a sneaking suspicion I know why Michael did this. And..."

"String," Dom interrupted, "I told you yesterday—why don't you just give her a chance? You never know what might happen."

"That's part of the problem," Hawke said grumpily. "I don't know what might happen if Caitlin and I get together...I mean...if we get together and something happens to her, I don't know what I would do. I mean...I care about her...hell, I _love her_ too much to..." He couldn't finish his sentence as Dom suddenly interrupted him.

"_Hold it. Just hold it, right there. _What did you just say, String?" Dom demanded. "Did you just say...you _love_ Caitlin?"

"Yeah, Dom, I did," Hawke replied, then pulled his shades off and stared Dom dead in the face. "And if you breathe a word of that to Caitlin, so help me, I'll deny I ever said it. But yeah, Dom...I do love her. And, I have for a long time. I've just always been so afraid to admit it...because of..."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, String!" Dom shouted. "Don't you understand what the word 'accident' means? I mean, okay...Gabrielle, yeah, I can understand how you might think you had something to do with her being killed, but Moffet was _crazy, _String. He would have killed Gabrielle whether you were together, or not!" Dom paused for a minute and caught his breath, then continued, "Now, Kelly and your parents...I've seen the reports on both of those...and so have you! _Nobody_ could have stopped either one of those collisions...and you could have been killed, too, you know. As far as Saint John is concerned, you know I love Saint John just like he was my son...just like I do with you...but I don't think he counts, because we don't know where he is!"

String felt a surge of anger at Dom's apparent dismissal of Hawke's older brother, but then he stopped and considered what Dom had meant. "Yeah, Dom," Hawke replied. "You're right, Dom—we don't know where Saint John is...or whether or not he's alive." He sighed and shook his head.

During the day, Hawke made another conscious effort to be nicer to Caitlin, and he found his efforts were well received and reciprocated. Caitlin even offered to buy him lunch, since he had done her the favor yesterday. At the end of the day, Caitlin, Hawke, and Dom each changed into the clothing they'd brought for the party – tuxedos for Hawke and Dom, and an emerald-green, ankle-length spaghetti strap gown with a slit up one leg, and green high heeled pumps for Caitlin. When Hawke saw Caitlin in her dress, his eyes practically bugged out of his head.

"Caitlin...wow. You...you look _amazing,_" Hawke stammered. _I never knew she had such great legs,_ he said to himself when he saw Caitlin's shapely leg, revealed almost to mid-thigh through the slit in her gown. _Actually...I never noticed how beautiful she is...until now._ He had to admit, he was seeing Caitlin O'Shannessy in an entirely different light. "Cait...you're beautiful," Hawke said, surprising both Dom and Caitlin.

Startled, Caitlin didn't know how to react at first. _Did he just say...that I'm beautiful? What is going on with him?_ She asked herself, then realized she'd better answer him. She smiled at him, a bright smile that nearly took his breath away. "Thanks, String," Caitlin replied, absolutely beaming. "You don't look half bad yourself." Caitlin eyed him appreciatively. _Who am I kidding? He looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm glad I'm gonna be on his arm tonight...even if it is only as his friend._

"Dom? You picking Megan up?" Hawke asked.

"Yeah," Dom replied, straightening up his jacket. "I'll see you two at Michael's house, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, Dom," Hawke replied, watching Dom climb into his car and drive off.

"You ready for this, Hawke?" Caitlin asked as they walked over to her car.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Hawke replied, surprising her by opening her door for her. Once they were both in the car, they headed off toward Michael's house.

When they pulled up at Michael's house a few minutes later, Hawke and Caitlin were not surprised to find Dom's car already there. Hawke and Caitlin both climbed out after they had parked, and Caitlin slid her arm through Hawke's as they walked to the door. Marella answered the door, smiling.

"String...Caitlin. So glad you both could come," Marella said as she ushered them into the house.

"Hello, Marella," Hawke said, smiling at Dominic and Megan. "Dom. Megan." Then, he noticed Archangel standing behind the bar. "Hello, Michael," Hawke grumbled, and Caitlin swore she felt the temperature in the room drop a good ten degrees, even if she was the only one who noticed.

"Hi, String...Cait," Dom said, and Megan smiled at both of them. Hawke and Caitlin moved into the living room, and Dom looked up as they followed String and Caitlin. "Uh-oh," Dom said, and Hawke glanced back at him and then followed Dom's gaze upward, seeing the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the entryway.

"You know what that means, String," Dom said, even as he took Megan into his arms and kissed her, a deep and loving kiss that took Megan's breath away. Dom gave Hawke a look as they walked away together, almost as if he were saying, _And that, son, is how you do that._

Caitlin glanced apprehensively up at Hawke. _Well...what are you gonna do, String? _She was anxious as she watched Hawke's expression.

_Come on, String! _Dom exhorted his younger surrogate son silently. Finally, he figured that Hawke might want a little privacy, so he turned Megan away and they walked a few steps into the living room, with Michael and Marella close behind them.

"String," Caitlin began, unsure what he wanted to do. "I know it's tradition and all, but..." She didn't want Hawke doing anything he wasn't comfortable doing. Hawke glanced over Caitlin's left shoulder and saw Dom and Michael talking, and Marella talking to Megan, until they noticed String and Caitlin still under the mistletoe, and turned to see what would happen. _I sure hope he's getting the message,_ Marella said to herself, glancing at Michael, then at Dom.

"No, Cait," Hawke replied, slipping his arms around her waist and drawing her close to him. Caitlin's expression was decidedly confused as she felt his arms encircle her body, but she slipped hers around his neck, her heart hammering in her throat. _What is he doing? _Caitlin asked herself, confused.

Finally, she felt Hawke's lips gently brush hers, then the kiss quickly intensified, and Caitlin swore to herself she felt her brain short-circuiting and her toes were curling inside her shoes as Hawke tightened his arms around Caitlin, and she tightened hers around him in response. _God...if I'm dreaming...please don't ever wake me up, _she said to herself as the kiss intensified. _I have wanted this...for so long. _She finally felt Hawke pull back, almost embarrassed at the intensity of the kiss.

"Cait," Hawke began, not sure what he was going to say, "I..."

"Hawke, don't," Caitlin replied, as soon as she felt her voice come back to her. "Don't apologize. You know...you know how I feel about you...I've just been so frustrated...because I didn't know how you feel about me. But," she continued, "if that kiss was any indication..." Caitlin felt her nerves get the best of her, and she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Cait," String replied, unsure how he was going to answer her, "I..." At that moment, he heard a voice in his head again, the same voice he'd heard a few days ago. _String...don't blow it now. _As he glanced down and saw the feelings..._the love_, he corrected himself, in the blue-green orbs in front of him, and also considering the four other pairs of eyes that he felt on him, Hawke took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, Cait...it was. I'm...I'm tired of running from my feelings...about you. Caitlin...I love you."

Through a haze of tears that had suddenly welled up in her eyes, Caitlin whispered, "String..._I love you, too." _Then, since they hadn't moved from underneath the mistletoe, she reached up and kissed him for all she was worth, as the two of them heard the applause break out behind them.

"GODDAMMIT, STRING, IT'S ABOUT TIME!" Dom shouted as they broke apart again a few seconds later.

"I could say the same to you and Megan, Dom," Hawke said with a grin as he noticed the expression on Megan's face.

"Yeah, yeah," Dom replied as the six of them sat down to the grilled salmon dinner that Marella had prepared. Dinner was a lively conversation between the six friends, and Hawke felt himself growing more at ease as the evening went on, both with the new relationship he and Caitlin were beginning, and the change he sensed in their relationship with Michael.

Finally, just as Michael was about to announce dessert, Caitlin turned to Marella and said, "Thank you, Marella...and you too, Michael..._so much._ I...I owe you one."

Smiling, Marella glanced at Caitlin and Hawke, then back to Michael and said, "Nah, Caitlin...after everything you did helping bring Michael back to us...to _me..._we're even." Caitlin nodded as she stood up, still smiling, and walked over to Marella's chair, and embraced her friend when Marella stood up.

Michael, for his part, couldn't stop smiling all through dinner, and after Hawke, Caitlin, Dom, and Megan had left, Marella said, "Remember when you said you didn't think this little party would work?"

"My dear, I have never been happier to be wrong," Michael replied, smiling, as he maneuvered Marella under the mistletoe before giving her a toe-curling kiss.

As Hawke dropped Caitlin at the front door of her home later that night, he took her in his arms one last time and gave her another toe-curling kiss. "Cait...I want to thank you for being so...patient with me about everything. And I promise, I'll spend the rest of our lives trying to make it up to you."

Caitlin caught her breath at Hawke's words _"the rest of __**our**__ lives," _but she figured he was just referring to their new status as a couple. "Hawke," she replied, trying to control a surge of hormones that flooded through her body, "it's okay. I understand...and I forgive you...for everything that happened before." _But...whatever he might decide to do, to try to make up for ignoring my feelings for so long, _she said to herself, _I certainly wouldn't try to stop him._ "Most of all, Stringfellow Hawke...I love you. Never forget that, okay?"

"Okay, I won't forget...I promise...and, I love you too, Caitlin," Hawke said as he gave her one last deep and passionate kiss. Dom had met String and Caitlin at her house after he dropped Megan off, so he could take String back to the cabin before he headed home. Once they were on their way back to the cabin, Dom said, "String...I've gotta tell you, I think everything's gonna be all right for you guys...and, I couldn't be happier for you."

Dom glanced over at Hawke, and was surprised to see an ear-to-ear grin stretched across his younger surrogate son's face. "I'm happy too, Dom," String replied. "For the first time in a long time...I think I'm truly happy. I just hope..."

"Don't do that to yourself, String," Dom said as he brought the helicopter down on the landing dock at String's cabin. "Just...take things one day at a time, like Megan and I are gonna do. If it's meant to be for you two...even though I think it is...then it'll happen, y'know?"

"Yeah, Dom...I do know," Hawke said as he climbed out of the chopper, then added, "and, thanks. I'll see you in the morning." He stood a short distance away as he watched Dom's chopper lift off and head back to Van Nuys. As he walked back to the cabin and got ready for bed, Hawke felt himself awash in the new feelings associated with this new thing he and Caitlin were beginning. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, nobody did...but with Caitlin O'Shannessy by his side, String felt an optimism he hadn't felt in quite some time, and he felt ready for anything that might come their way. As he dropped off to sleep that night, he saw a vision of a day some time in the future, but a day that, if _he _had anything to say about things, would definitely happen. He and Caitlin stood before a justice of the peace on the dock, reciting wedding vows, along with Michael, Marella, Dom, Cait's mother, and Saint John. _I hope it happens just that way, _Stringfellow Hawke said to himself, then added, _and soon._


End file.
